Welcome back to work - Deus Irae? or the woe of Thameslink

For many of us, today is the first day back at work after the Xmas and new year break. After the festivities, the alarm clock here went off at 6.30 to get the children up for school. What a day to come back to. On one such day, my old latin teacher at FCHS exclaimed as the wind howled and the rain poured down "Deus Irae". Today's weather is appropriate for the post holiday hangover we all have. For me, the first day back after the seasonal holidays is my least favourite day of the year. We find ourselves skint, facing the two harshest months of the year. We are welcomed back today to a huge hike in the cost of commuting into London. The reason for this is to "pay for investments" apparently. I have no issue with investments being paid for, but I seriously question the logic of paying for it by front loading it on to hard pressed commuters. Let me give you an example. Take my local service, the Thameslink line into London. Fares have been hiked, year after year to "pay for improvements". What has been the effect on the commuters of these improvements. Let me list a few :-

1. No direct service to Moorgate Station
2. The through service suspended for six months to construct the New St Pancras Station
3. Blackfriars tube Station shut for two years.
4. Massive overcrowding.
5. Removal of cross London Services for Sutton Loop.
6. No cross London services at weekends for years on end.

With all this disruption, you would think that rather than fare hikes, they should give passengers a discount whilst there journeys are constantly disrupted. For many people they pay the rises, but by 2016 when the program is finished, they will have retired. Years of disruption at extortionate prices, with what in return? Nothing. We are told that when the program is finished, there will be less overcrowding. I don't believe a word of it. If the service improves, more people will use it. I remember when the M25 was proposed, the argument was that it would "reduce overcrowding". What happened was the opposite. So you may say, how should the Thameslink program be paid for? It is clear to me that it should be paid from general taxation and borrowing. Capital programs produce a return on investments. Presumably there is a good business case for Thameslink and the benefits of the work will be felt for decades, if not centuries. Not only that, but people who never set foot on a Thameslink train will reap huge benefits from it. How you may ask? Because improved infrastructure opens up job opportunities, meaning that people can travel further to work, more quickly and more conveniently. This reduces unemployment and stimulates the economy. It removes cars from the roads, as people switch to rail, making other motorists journeys quicker and more pleasant. Who pays for major road projects? We all do. I rarely use the M1, but the roadworks North of Luton are paid for by me. Road commuters from Bedfordshire into London are subsidised by me, but as a regular rail user, they get a free ride from subsidising me. 

The UK has some of the highest fares in Europe and some of the lowest subsidies for travel. Who benefits from all this? The Thameslink service is operated by First Group under the First Capital Connect banner. Has First Group and it's shareholders suffered for this? Of course not. They have hidden behind the program as an excuse for a shoddy service. Regular users have suffered all manner of misfortune under this inept company. We had a period of months where the network virtually ground to a halt due to lack of trained drivers. We have had noticeboards which didn't work, resulting in many people boarding trains to completely the wrong destination. I had a conversation with a First representative about this. This is how the conversation went

Me: What are you doing about the fact your electronic destination boards are consistently not working
FCC: We are talking to our suppliers
Me: That is no use for me, why can't you have a system to tell passengers on the platform?
FCC: We do, we make announcements
Me: That is no use to me, I'm registered deaf (NB> I have a 44db hearing loss) and cannot usually hear them
FCC: Well that's your problem then, isn't it. You should check the front of the train or ask a member of staff.

The bottom line is that this company makes huge profits, is subsidised by the taxpayer and the passengers are lumbered with an uncaring monopoly. If and when they lose the franchise, no one will mourn their demise.

At the Mayoral election in May we have a clear choice and we have two people who have vastly different views on transport. We have Boris Johnson who stands for high fares and cares only for motorists in the posher London Boroughs and we have Ken Livingstone who has a consistant track record of standing up for lower fares and better all round transport infrastructure.

I asked a local Tory what Boris had done for Transport in Barnet. His answer "He got rid of the Bendy buses and he's developed the new Boris bus. He also got the cycle scheme going". An odd response really. There were no bendy buses in Barnet, we've seen one prototype bus delivered, which I've yet to see in Barnet and the cycle scheme hasn't come within miles of the Borough.

I doubt Ken Livingstone will do well in Barnet.I doubt that this fact is anything to do with his record on transport. In fact I doubt that it is based on anything more than a dislike generated by some comments to an Evening Standard reporter who was hassling him. I do understand this and I have some sympathy with the view, I just think it is crying shame that everyone in Barnet who commutes has to pay for these comments on a daily basis.

If like me you've been none too impressed with the performance of First Group, you may wish to sign this petition.

http://www.petitiononline.co.uk/petition/say-no-to-firstgroup-bidding-for-scotrail-in-2014/4085 Say no to firstgroup bidding for scotrail in 2014 www.petitiononline.co.uk Say NO to FirstGroup bidding for Scotrail in 2014.

First Capital Connect - Tell us the truth

Useless. No other words can describe them. Yesterday a packed commuter train was stuck for three hours just outside St Pancras station. No announcement was made for 2 hours and as the train was in the tunnel, no one could phone home. I was affected as well. I had to get to St Pancras and went down to Mill Hill Broadway Station for the 7.41 train. The noticeboard showed that it was running 26 minutes late. Arrival time was 8.03. Announcements said it was 26 minutes late. every two minutes it got two minutes later, until eventually, the time just said "delayed". At that point, I gave up and got the bus to Burnt Oak, and took the Northern Line, arring nearly an hour after I'd had to. Coming back, the trains were still up the spout. At St Pancras, a train arrived. It was announced that it was Bedford only. A horde of drunks jumped on. The train sat their for five minutes, then they announced that it was "travelling empty". Most people got off (some refused). It departed empty, leaving a packed platform. Thanks First Capital Connect. Five minutes later, an all stations pulled in. It was packed.

No apologies (other than a recorded message). We all know things go wrong. Why can't they just keep us informed and if trains aren't coming, tell us. They must know. How hard is that?

Crapitally Unconnected - Another First Capital Cockup

Tuesday night we had a great night out at Boz Boorers Xmas party. As we had an early get up, we left at 11pm, in time for the 11.27 train from West Hampstead to Mill Hill Broadway. Earlier in the evening, we checked the website to ensure there were no problems as driving was the other option. As we wanted a drink, but couldn't get hammered, either option worked. As the the FCC website said a normal Saturday service was running, it seemed the more convenient option. Sadly when we arrived at West Hampstead for the train home, it became clear that it was anything but a normal Saturday service. All trains were terminating at Hendon, one stop short of Mill Hill. As there was a train in, we jumped on. We were in Hendon ten minutes later. Hordes of people, a few FCC employees running around. I asked a couple of questions "Why aren't there any buses" The response "Because we didn't know four trains would come at once" An odd response. Don't they actually look at the timetable. I then asked when the next one to Mill Hill would be along. The answer "Soon". Soon turned out to be around 20 minutes later. We got on and the bus waited for another 10 minutes. When it got going, it took a bizarre route. Rather than driving up the hill to the A41, it drove down the hill to the Edgware Road, then south to Staples corner, along the North Circular to Brent Cross, then up the A41, a huge detour.

 So a journey that took 5 minutes, ended up taking nearly an hour, in a state of total confusion. A few hundred peoples night out was ruined. I have a few questions for FCC.

a) Why was there nothing on their website?
b) Why did none of their staff have a clue what was going on, even down to the level of how many trains were arriving?
c)  Why didn't the coach drivers know the quickest routes

All basic stuff. As usual, no information and no organisation as soon as something goes wrong.

First Capital Connect - Another fine mess !

In the words of Stan and Ollie "That's another fine mess you've got me into". This afternoon I thought I'd see how the Thameslink trains were running back to Mill Hill from City Thameslink. "No Service" was the answer? What, none at all. Further investigation showed that the station was shut. I made a few enquiries. Apparently an unfortunate lady commuter had slipped over on the platform this morning. Although this was terrible, why did the station need to be closed all day? You'll love this. Word on the street is that the platforms were treated with a new "anti slip surface". What happened next? It became slippery when it was became wet. The health and safety advisors deemed it "unsafe" and shut the station. Could you make it up?

Crapitalisation - Another sorry day for First Capital Connect

In Mill Hill today you could smell the stench of corporate failure. Yet again First Capital Connect failed to provide even a basic service on the Thameslink line. The reason? Snow and poor weather. Rather bizarrely the one bit of the network with no service at all was the bit in the tunnel, between St Pancras and Blackfriars.

It seems like they've given up even trying. At Mill Hill at 7.45, no staff, no information on the signs except "listen for announcements" and no announcements. For most commuters the only time you need an announcement or a display board is when it goes wrong. When this happens the system collapses. Surely the signalmen know where the trains are. Surely these systems talk to the systems that display the info?

Coming home, I checked the FCC website. It said there was a 17.02 from City Thameslink to Mill Hill and it was running on time. Off I headed. On arrival, there was a hand written board saying all northbound services start from St Pancras.

Just how useless can a company be?

First Capital Connect : The greatest Cockney rip off

Just suppose that you've been travelling to work on the same train for the last 20 years. Just suppose that your journey takes you from the station at the bottom of your road, all of the way to another one next to your office. It sounds marvellous doesn't it?


Just suppose that one day, the train company announces that they are spending billions of pounds on improving the service. You'd be even more pleased no doubt? Then you read the small print. How do these improvements affect you? Well if you live in Mill Hill or anywhere else on the Thameslink route and you travel to Moorgate, these improvements mean that you cannot get a direct train to work anymore and that you'll be charged more for the privelidge. Full details are here.

http://www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk/faqs/faqs_categories/public_index#question_25

I think that it is scandalous that First Capital Connect, which uses Moorgate station as a terminus for it's GN route trains, refuses to honour the "London Terminus" tickets. It is bad enough that passengers now have to change at Farringdon to a congested underground service, but to charge people for the tube fare is adding insult to injury. The Government funded a concession on the tickets up until March 2011. When this expires, passengers will face a huge hike in fares as they have to buy a zone 1 travelcard.

Customers of FCC have suffered disruption, delays, cancellations and all manner of inconvenience due to the program of improvements. Most people accept that this is a necessary evil to improve the service, but charging people extra for a less convenient journey is scandalous. Presumably once the new routes open and the the longer trains start service, First Capital Connect will increase its profits - any chance of them sharing some of the loot with those who have to endure a far less comfortable journey?

A customer focussed company would have maintained the concession for London Terminus tickets. Of course we are dealing with First Group PLC, so no chance of that.

First Capital Connect - They are so crap that there's now an app !

Many people who live in Mill Hill, use the Thameslink ( or First Crapital Connect) service.  This blog regularly features articles on the subject, as we feel that First has failed to meet their commitments over the term of their franchise. They have recently revamped their website and I've had many comments that this is now far harder to use and many features seem to have disappeared. This blog gives information on a few useful links for those who use the service.

You can now see how badly they are doing in real time for any given period. Needless to say, this useful little tool hasn't been developed by First Capital Connect, it's been developed by Stuart Pinfold. First Capital Connect used to display the stats on the front of their website, but have removed the summary (presumably because they continually fail to meet their targets)

You can look at stats for any day, train or period of time.


http://apps.stuart-pinfold.co.uk/fccstats/

First Capital Connect have rather unhelpfully removed the Journeycheck page from their website links (at least I can't find it anywhere). Here's a link to it which I suggest you bookmark. The route I've saved is Mill Hill to Blackfriars, but you can change this to any one you like

http://www.journeycheck.com/firstcapitalconnect/route?action=search&from=MIL&to=BFR&savedRoute=-1

I'd recommend that if you want to check on a train, use the National Rail Enquiries page.


http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Oh yes, if you want to check the First Capital Connect website, here's the link.


http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?sEvent=HomeCommuter

And here's a few of the comments I've had about the service from regular readers, all fair comment. I'd welcome a few answers from FCC :-

"Why can't you top up your Oyster card at Mill Hill, given that many commuters use it to pay for their journey ?"

"Why are the Message Boards so innacurate?"

"Why do trains which show up as "on time" on the web services when I leave the house, become cancelled or late by the time I reach the station 2 minutes later?"

Watch out for our next FCC blog "First Capital Connect : The Greatest Cockney Rip Off - Moorgate branch closure" - coming soon to a computer near you !!!!

Thameslink - FCC find a new way to be useless - Oyster chaos at City Thameslink

Monday Morning,

Feeling Fragile,

Mind's a wreck,

Far from agile

So it was I found myself at the barriers of "City Thameslink" station at 08:20 yesterday morning, wanting to touch out with my Oyster card. I touched it and no beep. I walked up and down and none of the touchpads were working. At this I decided to ask an FCC inspector, who had watched me sneeringly from the side. "Oyster is nothing to do with us" he informed me "It's not working at this station, we've called the engineer". Ok, so what do I do, I asked, aware that I'd be charged the highest fare possible - £6 rather than the correct fare of £3.10. He helpfully responded. "Ring the number on the card" and turned away. Marvellous customer service as ever.

This I then did - to an 0845 number, which presumably means I've been charged for the privelige. The number informed me "If the query is regarding overcharging, please wait 24 hours so that our systems have time to update". So I've been overcharged and I have to wait 24 hours - marvellous.

This morning I ring up. I've waited 24 hours. I call the 0845 number again. This time I navigate through the options. I am informed I have a 4 minute wait for an operator. After an indeterminate period, I get through. A chirpy chap says "oh yes, no problem at all" and tells me that he's put the refund back on. He asks me what station I want the refund at? I am confused, do I have to collect a cheque? No, next time I touch in at that station, my card will be refunded, but I must do it within 7 days. Ok, but why can't he just refund me now? It's not possible, the system does it like this.

Anyway this evening I passed through City Thameslink again. Still no Oyster service. There wasn't even anyone around to ask what to do. Just a chalkboard saying you can touch out but you can't touch in? I give up. I hope it has cost FCC a fortune.

Is Bob Crow a complete twat?

I was out drinking beer last night. Much too much of the stuff. One of my drinking buddies offered the opinion that "Bob Crow is a complete twat". Now in the alchoholic daze, I'd forgotten about it this morning. My friend feels that the Leader of the RMT is an "ignorant git who is bent on causing trouble".

I guess my mate isn't alone in his views. He feels that the biggest problem with the railways is Mr Crow. Then I read this in my favourite paper, the Guardian today.

The "improved" franchise regime being sought by the Association of Train Operating Companies should fill rail users with dread (Letters, 7 July). Atoc represents the combined interests of shareholders who have been the beneficiaries of massive corporate welfare in the form of more than £11bn in public subsidy in the last 10 years. Rail franchising remains essentially a crude device for converting public money into private profit – approaching £400m across the Tocs for the most recent financial year – to the detriment of rail users and workers.
The investment boasted of by Atoc comes from fare-payers and taxpayers – the private sector's most notable contribution is to siphon money out of the industry. Now we are a Con-Dem nation, Atoc is baying to be given more of the public funds, in the form of longer franchises and what they call "vertical integration" – which would amount to rail infrastructure being fragmented and divvied up among the private operators to be sweated for even more profit. Atoc's demands need careful interpretation: for "drive down costs" read "remove guards and station staff, and downgrade safety to maximise profits"; and for "a commercially rigorous approach" read "ringfence our profits while hammering passengers and rail staff". This is the reverse of what should happen. Franchising isn't the solution – it's part of the problem.

Couldn't have put it better myself. For those of us lucky enough to use the rotten service provided by First Capital Connect, we already know that these awful TOC's (train operating companies) are only interested in profits. They know that passengers are only there to be bled dry and treated like cattle.

They know that owning a rail franchise is a license to print money and the government doesn't care how badly you do it. If they did, they would have stripped First of the Thameslink franchise last year when they weren't employing enough drivers to run the service, resulting in a near 50% reduction in services and appalling punctuality stats.

I am deeply suspicious of any organisation which represents the interests of TOC's. The interests of TOC's are most certainly not the interests of passengers.

Anyway, who do you think wrote the letter to the Guardian? None other than Bob Crow. I'm not a member of his fan club, but anyone who has suffered from the trials and tribulations of FCC's Thameslink knows that whilst Unions cause some problems, incompetent management cause far worse ones. Bob Crow earns £103,000 per annum to represent his members. Moir Lockhead, boss of First Group gets paid £802,000 per annum to run a train service. Which one is the more overpaid? Which one has helped Great Britain's railways prosper and the passengers get to their destination on time? Sadly, despite the fact that these two earn just short of a million quid a year between them, you won't get any answers from either of them as to what they will be doing to ensure that the people who pay both of their wages (the passenger) will get a good deal.

Sadly for Great Britain PLC, whilst we have the likes of Moir Lockhead running companies like First Capital Connect, we'll have the likes of Bob Crow running the Unions. And that my friend, is why we are all F*****D. Have a nice weekend.

Trainspotting, First Crapital Connect Style

Tens of thousands of us use First Capital Connect to go to work every day. For most of us, the number on the front of the train is not something we take much notice of. As one of the victims of this awful company, I've become aware of the importance of taking note of these. Why, you may ask yourself?

Well it seems there are two types of train on our route. There's the old crap ones (known as 319's) and now there's the new crap ones (known as 377's). Now for those of you not too interested in such things, what is the big difference? Well the old crap ones (319's - got that) have got no air conditioning and so when it's really hot (ie now) they can be quite uncomfortable. When they go into sardine mode, there is a mad scramble to open windows. If the windows are open, then once the train gets moving, there is a bit of air circulation and it is just about bearable.

Now the new crap trains (the 377's) are fully airconditioned. Of course this is fantastic on days such as today. A scantily clad hostess serves you ice cold G&T's at your seats as you thunder in climate controlled luxury into London. Then you wake up, because the aircon has packed up/ not been switched on. You are boiling to death, there's no window to open and no scantily clad hostess serving G&T's.

You can see evidence of this scenario here on the latest FCC Q&A - question 84 where they admit that the A/C is systematically being accidentally turned off :-

http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?iCmsPageId=233&sMethod=ViewArchive&iForumId=25&iSectionId=VA&iRowCount=110&sQuestionNumber=&sAskedby=&sSearchFor=&iPage=7

Would it have been that hard to have fitted thermostats to alert the driver if the carriages were getting too hot and to train them to switch the A/C back on.

Now it seems that when it does work, it can have the opposite effect, actually being to cold for comfort - check question 104 & the answer from their latest "meet the management" session -

http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?iCmsPageId=233&sMethod=ViewArchive&iForumId=25&iSectionId=VA&iRowCount=110&sQuestionNumber=&sAskedby=&sSearchFor=&iPage=2

So my advice to you. If the train looks packed to standing, check the number on the front. If it says "377" remember that you could get well and truly roasted or frozen. Luckily for me, Mill Hill Broadway is designated to only be served by the old crap trains. That suits me fine, judging by the accounts I've read.

Strangely enough, on the FCC website they have a page specially dedicated to all of their trains :-


http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?iCmsPageId=90

Rather oddly, they don't mention the new crap trains (the 377's - got that) at all? I wonder why? Could it be they are a bit ashamed?

First Capital Connect : First class fare for a third class journey

There is a very interesting report in the Daily Express today -  http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/177412/First-class-train-ticket-con - detailing how rail companies are charging First class ticket prices for routes where there is no first class service. Can you guess which company was described as one of the main culprits? None other than our beloved First Capital Connect. When asked how they could justify selling first class tickets from Luton to Wimbledon, when no trains have first class accomodation. A First Capital Connect spokesman said: 

“It is perfectly feasible for the entire national rail journey from Luton Airport Parkway to Wimbledon to be carried out in first class. FCC tickets to Wimbledon all include cross London travel for people who decide not to travel on a direct service, therefore the suggestion that an additional fare needs to be paid is incorrect.”

 So you are at Luton Airport Parkway, you have a load of bags and you want to get to Wimbledon in comfort and without stress. You know the service can get overcrowded so you buy a First Class ticket. Is there anyone who believes that you'd want to change trains, maybe several times?

 The article says that the ticket for the non existant services is charged at £21.40, rather than £13.40 for a Second class ticket. I have this question for First Capital Connect. How much should the fare be for a Third Class Service. One where trains are late, don't turn up, are too packed to board. I thought I'd visit my old friend, the First Capital Connect Journey check board. What joys did it have in line for us today?

Line problem in the Blackfriars area.

Train services between Brighton and St Pancras International are being disrupted due to signalling problems in the Blackfriars area.
Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Delays of up to 20 minutes can be expected.
Trains are being diverted via Streatham and will not serve London Bridge.

Services will go via Streatham and not call at London Bridge until further notice. Southern Railway are accepting FCC tickets on all reasonable routes.

Message Received: 07:52:51 27/05/2010

Line problem.

Train services on all routes via Shortlands are being disrupted due to signalling problems.
Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations and delays of up to 30 minutes can be expected.

Message Received: 08:57:27 27/05/2010

 So if the 2nd class fare is 62% of the first class fare, surely the third class fare should only be £8.40? Do we get a 38% reduction on our season tickets for the third class service? No of course we don't. Why? Because if there is one thing which is First class about First Capital Connect it is the renumeration package for their bosses such as Moir Lockhead.  You can click here to get the full details of his package :-

http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=8672986&ticker=FGP:US

Let me give you a summary as reported

ANNUAL COMPENSATION*

Salary	£609,000
Bonus	£160,000
Total Annual Compensation	£769,000

STOCK OPTIONS*

All Other Compensation	£33,000
Exercisable Options	735,853
Exercisable Values	£185,979
Unexercisable Options	297,107
Unexercisable Values	£779,906
Total Value of Options	£965,885
Total Number of Options	1,032,960

TOTAL COMPENSATION*

Total Annual Cash Compensation	£769,000
Total Short Term Compensation	£769,000
Other Long Term Compensation	£33,000
Total Calculated Compensation	£802,000

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* I like the way it calls his earnings COMPENSATION. I always thought compensation was what you got from a company that provides a crap service. It seems like the only person who gets proper compensation from First Capital Connect for it's tawdry service is the bloke who runs it. If you want to know what's wrong with Great Britain today, can there be a finer example. 

Now there are a few things you can do. There is a number 10 petition to strip this awful company of its franchise. It only has a week left to run. It is 46 signatures short of 6,000. Please sign now if you haven't already. Please ask any fellow victims of this company to sign it if they haven't

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/FirstCC/

There is also a facebook group, where we keep an eye on the issues related to this company

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=2239285772

Then there is the First Crapital Connect noticeboard.

http://www.firstcrapitalconnect.co.uk/what-can-we-do-about-first-capital-connect.html

If you have a problem with this line, please log it on one of these sites, it makes it far easier to collate information to  write blogs, letters to MP's etc if we know what they are up to. Given the new Government is a coalition and there is a possibility that there may be another election in short order if it all goes pear shaped, I think that now is an excellent time to keep up the pressure.

First Capital Connect : Latest Stats - Total abject failure

On the First Capital Connect website, the company have just put up the train performance statistics for the last period :-

7 Feb-6 Mar - 86.1%

This is appalling. Nearly 15% of trains arrive more than five minutes after their scheduled arrival time. Lets look at all of the excuses they didn't have this time.

There was no work to rule by drivers
There was no snow
All of the new trains have been deliverer
The problems with the trains have been fixed.
There are no leaves on the line.

Now it is bad enough only running 62.8% of trains on time in the period 13 Dec - 9 Jan, when they had a whole host of excuses, but they haven't and they still provide a tardy rubbish service. They haven't got anywhere near even 10% of trains on time for the last six performance periods. So what does this mean to you as a regular user. It means that in a two week period, you can expect at leasdt three trains to be late. Bear in mind how many train schedules they amend for "operational reasons" - what we know as "Whooshers". Trains which suddenly become fast, zooming through your station to catch up so they don't show up. Are there any stats for what percentage of trains have their stopping pattern altered "in flight"?

However you look at these stats, they are a sign of abject failure from a basket case company. Only 178 signatures are required on the no 10 petition to get the number up to 6,000, so please, now more than ever, sign this if you haven't already. First Capital Connect are pulling out the PR stops to pretend they are doing a good job. They are not and now there really is no excuse. I know we are all tired of it, I know we all think that the protest has run it's course. IT HASN'T. There is a general election in under 2 months. This is a golden opportunity to remind your MP's that they need to sort FIRST CAPITAL CONNECT out. Email them to tell them that the stats are still rubbish. Tell them that you will only vote for a candidate who is prepared to take firm action against FCC NOW. The issue hasn't gone away, but if you miss the chance now, then when they get re-elected in May, they'll be back to living the high life on expenses and will do nothing at all.

First Capital Connect : London Pride

The BBC reports on a sale of posters from "The Golden Age of Railways". The one featured above caught my eye. This poster was issued by the Great Western Railway to promote travel to London. Featured in the picture is the River Thames and The Houses of Parliament. The modern day successor to GWR is First Great Western, owned by the same company which operates the Thameslink franchise. First Capital Connect has established a reputation as the worst train operating company in Britain. So first off (pardon the pun) lets see what todays commute on this awful railway brings? This was on their website (clearly not updated from yesterday)

Customer information - updated: Wednesday 3 March 2010, 13:45

From approximately 12.25pm all trains will begin calling again at London Bridge following the earlier line-side fire. Delays of around 15 minutes should still be expected and First Capital Connect tickets will continue to be accepted on local bus and Tube services to/from London Bridge.

As this blog previously established, the FCC route is particularly prone to fires due to electricity supply problems. Not exactly reassuring when you are stuck in a tunnel at Farringdon. The route has seen a proliferation of ANTI FCC websites (see the sidebar) spring up. These have allowed commuters to get organised and vent their spleen. Yesterday the Daily Telegraph reported that rail operators are failing to provide the required number of seats set out in their contracts. Do passengers who have to stand due to the company failing to meet their contractual obligations get anything off their ticket? Of course not. The only beneficiaries are the directors and shareholders of the operating companies who make massive profits. It will come as no surprise that FCC are one of these companies operating a shoddy service.

So what can be done. Well as the poster above shows the Houses of Parliament, let me urge anyone who hasn't signed the No 10 Petition to strip FCC of the Thameslink franchise to do so now. we only need another 215 signatures to reach 6,000. This landmark will allow us to remind the powers that be that the problems haven't gone away.

When was the last time that you felt "London Pride" travalling on a train operated by First Group PLC? Many of us see the River Thames from our train in the morning/evening. I'm a very proud Londoner and I passionately believe that London deserves a better service than that provided by First Group. They've had their chance, sack 'em.

First Capital Connect - Petition - only 256 more signatures needed !

As regular readers of this blog will know, we've been supporting the No 10 petition to strip First Capital Connect of the Thameslink Franchise. There are now 5,744. Only 256 more signatures are needed to get to the magic 6,000 mark. This is important because this landmark number will show the Government and the regulators that customers are still unhappy. If you haven't signed this petition, please do (unless you think First have done a good job). Only yesterday we had the unprecedented news that Customers had refused to get off a perfectly good train that FCC had decided to take out of service at Cricklewood. The latest figures from their own website show that nearly 1 in 4 trains are late - 10 Jan-6 Feb 76.8%

If you want a decent service, keep up the pressure, sign the petition and make sure everyone you know also signs the petition. Here's the link - it's also in the sidebar. Send it to your friends.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/FirstCC/

First Capital Connect - Ahoy Mateys - Piracy at Cricklewood !!!!!

It's noon in Sunny Mill Hill and I've just heard some news that made my day. First Capital Connect have made the Noon news on BBC London Radio (I'll put a link here later if I can find it). Guess what for? Yes they've just won an award for running the most punctual rail service in Europe! Only kidding. Nope, sadly they've made the news for doing what they do best - Pissing off their passengers.This morning, no doubt in an attempt to  save a bit of cash, they decided to take a perfectly well working train out of service at Cricklewood. The captain of the ship train driver announced that the train was terminating at Cricklewood and the passengers said "NO WAY" and refused to get off. After a reported half hour stand off, First Capital Connect gave in and the train continued to London. Here's a little song to sing on the way home to the tune of "Go West" by the Village People

"One Nil to the Passengers, One Nil to the Passengers
One Nil to the Passengers,One Nil to the Passengers"

Yup silly and childish, I know, but these little things make me feel better. Well done to all of the passengers who refused to take this crap. I'll have a beer in your honour tonight.


By the way, please sign the petition to sack this rubbish company - There's a link in the Green Sidebar. It's vital that the number of signatures keeps going up to show the Government that we're still suffering from their useless, inadequate service.

More Cost Cutting? - You can't take a First Crapital Connect on this train

To my extreme discomfort, I discovered a new way that First Capital Connect may be saving cash, to the extreme discomfort of passengers. I boarded a train at Blackfriars Station at 21.31 last night to Mill Hill. Now it might not surprise you to know, that I'd been in the rather excellent pub "The Blackfriar" (check the images on the Link) before this. Now as you may know, that quaffing a few beers, has certain side effects that make the arrival of a nice comfy train, with on board lavatories, rather, shall we say, relieving. It seems that I was not the only passenger who was pleased to see the 21.31 turn up. As we all made the short dash to the loo on arrival, a sudden horror hit us. Both toilets were locked.

Oh dear, this made for a rather uncomfortable journey. One of my fellow passengers then commented. "They always do this on these trains". Suddenly a thought hit me. Why could this be? Could it be because they are scrimping on train cleaning? A small huddle of rather uncomfortable passengers struck up a conversation. It seems that experienced users of this particular train often have to get off at St Pancras and use the on station loo. It seems that any trip to the pub should be ended with a visit to the pub facilities, as it may be some time before the opportunity presents itself again.

I ask this question. Is it really First Capital Connect policy to lock the loos on evening trains? Is this a cost cutting measure? Is there anything in the Franchise agreement which stipulates the toilet availability? Surely this is a  breach of the Disability act. If the Toilets are unavailable, people with certain medical conditions are unable to travel. Luckily for me, the journey to Mill Hill isn't too long and I didn't have to get off at St Pancras. It does seem though that yet again, FCC don't give a stuff about passenger comfort. At each station at least 1 person got on and headed for the loo, then let out a loud groan. It is no secret that many areas around certain stations have a terrible stench of urine.

Now I know why.

First Capital Connect - The Empire Strikes Back !

On Tuesday I posted a blog - First Capital Connect - Another Fine Mess. Someone who posts under the name of "The Insider" posted a couple of comments, the gist of which is that I'm a thick useless twat, who doesn't know what I'm talking about when I write blogs about FCC. Now I think that these comments are rather interesting, so I thought I'd examine them in Greater Detail. Then, my dear Reader, you can decide who is right Rog T or "The Insider". Let's start with the exchange of comments :-

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theinsider said...

you really know nothing about the railway do you? wasting you life writting crap!!!

9 February 2010 14:05

Rog T said...

Dear "The Insider", I know nothing about the railway? Well I've used it since 1981 on a regular basis so I know what it's like to be a passenger on this godawful service. I know it's got MUCH WORSE under FCC. If you know so much, tell me exactly what I've got wrong and why I know so little. I'm sure that we'd all be happy to benefit from your wealth of knowledge. It would be great if you explained who you are and what your wealth of experience is.

9 February 2010 15:22

theinsider said...

Ok, the 377’s were ordered in April 2007 BUT Neal joined FCC May 2009 so he did not order these units. His role was New trains director for the new fleet that will replace the 319’s. The 377’s are part of the Electrostar family with southern and C2C operating them as well. One thing that has been consistent with these units as with any new train, because they’re so complex there has always been reliability problems to begin with but once ironed out the miles between failures increase. One difficulty on the Thameslink side is the trains have to change the supply from overhead to the third rail system and vice versa This is a multipart circuit and is prone to failures where as the southern route only runs on a single power supply. The position of the driver’s seat would never have been an issue if the cctv the train manufacturer supplied had been reliable. All new trains since privatization are supplied on a build and maintain contract meaning it’s not fcc or southern that maintain the 377’s its Bombardier. The TOCs only over see the maintenance and ensure it’s carried out on time. The late delivery of these units is because a number of part suppliers for Bombardier going into admin. I must stress that I am not a manager/teamleader of any kind of pr person for FCC. Everyone is entitled to have an opinion and so they should when they are not receiving a service that they desire. I think you should do some research before writing these articles.

10 February 2010 16:11

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 So having seen the comments, and heard what "The Insider" has to say, here's my response (in "big red letters".

Ok, the 377’s were ordered in April 2007 BUT Neal joined FCC May 2009 so he did not order these units. His role was New trains director for the new fleet that will replace the 319’s.

The press release concerning Mr Neal Lawson said this "Neal joined First Capital Connect in May 2009 and has been working as Engineering and New Trains Director, responsible for the delivery of the next generation of rolling stock for the £5.5 billion Thameslink Programme." Now as I read this, he's been in charge of the new fleet since may 2009. This means that he's responsible for the commissioning and testing of the new trains, since then, which has been a calamity. There is a press release dated 22.1.2010 on the FCC website which says "Last New Trains in Fleet Enter Service". If Mr Lawson had no involvement with the 377 at all as head of engineering and new trains director, then that is quite staggering. Then again it wouldn't surprise me if FCC's Engineering and New Trains Director didn't get involved with overseeing the engineering and new trains.

The 377’s are part of the Electrostar family with southern and C2C operating them as well. One thing that has been consistent with these units as with any new train, because they’re so complex there has always been reliability problems to begin with but once ironed out the miles between failures increase. 

Again this takes us to the question of what level of testing during commissioning did Mr Lawson insist on when he was director of "Engineering and New Trains"? Were the new trains accepted with known problems? Surely these should have been corrected prior to delivery.

 

One difficulty on the Thameslink side is the trains have to change the supply from overhead to the third rail system and vice versa This is a multipart circuit and is prone to failures where as the southern route only runs on a single power supply.

I am rather surprised by this comment. Firstly Thameslink has been dual voltage since the mid 1980's, it's not new technology. Secondly the 377's are already in use on dual voltage services on Southern Railway - see picture of train at Watford Junction. There is a train 186 in the Southern Railways Timetable which runs from Watford Junction to Brighton. Thirdly, Dual voltage running is well established in the UK. Eurostar did it for years and I've no recollection of these scale of problems FCC have had. It should also be noted that one of the most common problems is the failure of the CCTV on the Door opening system, which results in the train being unable to stop at many stations where a train despatcher is not present. This is nothing to do with dual voltage operation as presumably the trains have a reliable system of voltage regulation for onboard systems. If they didn't the whole caboodle would get fried when they switch from 750v to 25kv.

The position of the driver’s seat would never have been an issue if the cctv the train manufacturer supplied had been reliable.

This is the most ridiculous comment of the lot. Haven't FCC ever heard of the concept of a plan B. Given that a simple window would have given a preexisting backup to the CCTV cameras it is quite frankly ridiculous. Sadly their skimping on the cost of a window, has resulted in many hours of misery for passengers on this route.
 

All new trains since privatization are supplied on a build and maintain contract meaning it’s not fcc or southern that maintain the 377’s its Bombardier. The TOCs only over see the maintenance and ensure it’s carried out on time.

As ever in the crazy world of privatised railways, the old excuse. It's always someone elses fault.

The late delivery of these units is because a number of part suppliers for Bombardier going into admin.
I must stress that I am not a manager/teamleader of any kind of pr person for FCC. Everyone is entitled to have an opinion and so they should when they are not receiving a service that they desire. I think you should do some research before writing these articles.

And finally the most/least revealing comment of the lot. "The Insider" is not a  "manager/teamleader of any kind of pr person for FCC". Which begs the question who is "The Insider". As they've put nothing in the profile, I can't say for sure, but I've had a couple of emailed suggestions. I'm all for people from FCC (or anywhere else) adding comments. I don't mind people correcting mistakes in these blogs. What does slightly alarm me is that this stinks of a bit of creative PR. If the Insider wants to do a guest post telling us all why FCC are marvellous, I'll post it up unedited and without comments from me, just so long as they say who they really are. Can't say fairer than that. As to who is right, Me or the Insider? Decide for yourself.

First Capital Connect - Another fine mess

You really couldn't make it up if you tried. First Capital Connect have just appointed a new managing director, Neal Lawson. His previous job was to procure new trains for the company. How did he get on with that job? Well First Capital Connect recently bought a new fleet of trains for the Thameslink route. Guess what? They were delivered over a year late and are prone to failure. It has emerged that whilst these trains (class 377) can run for South East Railways for 22,000 miles before they go wrong, the ones First Capital Connect bought go wrong every 6,000 miles. The distance from Bedford to Brighton is 128 miles, therefore these trains break down every 46 journeys. When you consider they may travel the route, 5 or 6 times a day, that means there is only.  a few days between each train failure.

I've done some digging and guess what the most common failure is? The trains have a CCTV system, which allows the driver to see when the passengers are clear of the doors. If this breaks down, the train can only stop at stations where there are station attendants who can tell him when the doors are clear. this means that most stations have to be missed. Now, having spent years commuting, I smelt a rat. The old trains (the 319's) don't have the CCTV camera. All stations have a CCTV system and the driver stops by the monitors and watches these until the doors are clear. Why can't the driver of the new trains, the 377's do this. This is the good bit. They can't because the position of the chair in the drivers cab doesn't line up with the window. As such, the driver would have to stand up and bend his neck. This is deemed a "health and safety" issue, so the drivers are not allowed to do it.

In other words, because First Capital Connect ordered a fleet of trains with the drivers window in the wrong place, thousands of passengers are being inconvenienced on a daily basis. Who is responsible for ordering a fleet of trains that is not fit for purpose (despite being over a year late)? The man who has just been promoted to be the managing director. It is quite clear that to save a few quid on the train design (no doubt boosting First Capital Connects profits), they skimped on the windows, so the new trains can't use the already installed station TV monitors. Yet another reason why they should be stripped of the franchise.

(Picture: A new First Capital Connect 377 train being assembled. Note the lack of a window for the driver to watch the platform CCTV monitors on the side of the cab)

First Capital Connect and the General Election

My advice to any hopeful politicians who are hoping to get elected at either the Council or the General Elections which will soon be upon us. If any of your voters use the First Capital Connect route into London, then they are likely to be extremely unhappy with the service and the terms of the Company franchise. I would suggest that any MP not campaigning stridently against the firm and for the passengers is not up to the job. I got sent this email by Sandy Walkington, a Lib Dem candidate in St Albans. Far be it for me to tell anyone how to do their job or how to campaign, but I think that this leaflet will help Sandy no end in his bid to get elected. I would suggest that all politicians of all parties follow Sandys lead.

In my blog earlier today, I praised and quoted MP's from all sides for their contribution in the debate. Sadly the two Labour and one Conservative MP's in Barnet (my Council) had nothing to contribute on the matter. I'd rather hoped that this was an issue all of our politicians could get behind the people on. I can think of no single issue that would make more people happy on this train route than to sack FCC and get an operator who knows how to run the service. We pay MP's a decent amount of money, so the least they should do is sort out companies that have a monopoly and fail to provide a service.

Note : Yep, I'm biased (I'm standing as a Lib Dem Councillor in the Council elections), but this is the only way that First Capital Connect will sit up and take note. I just happen to think that this is the best leaflet I've seen from a politician on the issue.

First Capital Connect : The Filth and the Fury

The fury is us. The users of the service. If you read this blog to the end, you'll probably have some idea who I think "The Filth" are. This blog is a roundup of the two debates in Parliament about Thameslink and the First Capital Connect route. I've read the minutes for both debates and there were some stark and revealing issues raised.

I've long had reservations about the ability of First Capital Connect to operate an efficient service, but I'd not considered whether we were actually safe on the trains. Are we risking our life and limb? Like me you may have wondered about the recent spate of lineside fires. I couldn't understand how you could get a lineside fire in a sealed tunnel, such as happened recently near City Thameslink.I read this horrific passage in the debate on the Thameslink route in Parliament on 2nd Feb. Mr Kelvin Hopkins MP said this :-

One other point is that there are signalling and electrical power problems. Already there have been line-side fires in the tunnel between Farringdon and City Thameslink. That, I understand, is caused by arcing from the third rails, because the delivery for electricity to those tracks is at one end of that section of track rather than, typically, in the centre, which means that the voltages must be higher to drive the current longer distances.

From Mr Hopkins comments, it appears that there is a system problem, making that part of the network prone to fires. I don't know about you, but to me the concept of tunnels, fires and packed commuter trains sounds like a rather dangerous mix.

There was another debate yesterday (3rd Feb) which had been arranged by Anne Main MP, specifically about the FCC service. There were some rather interesting points raised here. One which seemed to sum up the inefficiency was a comment by Lib Dem MP Paul Burstow.

It is not just that trains have been delivered late; they are not delivering the service they are meant to deliver. I gather that at the moment, First Capital Connect trains, the 377s, are breaking down after every 6,000 miles, compared with Southern, which runs the same trains and seems to keep them running for 22,000 miles before they break down. Surely that is another example of how incompetent the company is.

I wasn't aware of the huge difference in the reliability of the same trains on different routes. Why on earth should the trains be nearly 4 times more reliable on the Southern Route? In the same debate, Luton MP Kelvin Hopkins also commented on the apparent ruses used by First Capital Connect to avoid financial penalties. Yet again the commuter is the one to suffer :-

Moreover, we have a delay attribution system. If a First Capital Connect train is late there may be a delay in its connection with an East Midlands train, which then might have a problem connecting with a cross-country route in, say, Sheffield, and people will miss their connections. If the fault is traced back to First Capital Connect, it can be fined. So First Capital Connect goes out of its way to ensure that it is not blamed, because it does not want to be fined, but someone has to pay somewhere.

This presumably is why some trains are suddenly run through as fast trains. Yet again, the root cause is that FCC don't want to be penalised financially. Mr Hopkins added

The former rail regulator, Tom Winsor, said in this building, in my hearing, "When BR handed over the railways to the privateers, they were handed over in good order." He is not a dyed in the wool socialist like me; he is an objective observer who was a regulator. He also said that British Rail worked miracles on a pittance. It was desperately underfunded, but it still managed to run a railway.

In other words, dodgy companies like First Capital Connect have transformed a functional system into a shambles. Nadine Dorries, MP for Bedford summed it up :-

Moments before we came into the debate, we received an almost self-congratulatory e-mail from First Capital Connect, which announced that there were only 135 cancellations in the week from 25 to 31 January. It is almost as if those cancellations were the only issue, but as my hon. Friend says, they force more people on to fewer trains, making people late and making their journeys incredibly uncomfortable. "This is the best ...performance...since May 2009.".

The bottom line though is that after 2 debates in 2 days, it is clear that the Government couldn't be bothered to do anything. Reading the minister, Chris Mole MP's comments, it is clear to me that he is completely useless. A remedial plan is in place until the next major disaster. It seems that the Government are buying the line that First Capital Connect are doing well now. I suppose if you accept that lineside fires, 135 cancellations a week, timetable manipulation, driver shortages (they still don't have the right number of drivers), passengers packed like sardines have no relevance to the debate they are doing OK. What I found extremely upsetting was the fact that none of the MP's in Barnet, all of who represent passengers who use the line, made any contribution to these debates. During the debates there were great contributions from Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem and Independent MP's. Sadly those in our Borough couldn't be bothered. Is it because they all have second homes and so never actually use the line? Is that why they don't care.

What more can I say, other than to give you the highlights of this mornings delays. Enjoy ....

07:24 Brighton to Bedford due 10:08
This train has been delayed and is now 22 minutes late from Gatwick Airport.
This train has been revised.
It will no longer call at: St Albans City, Harpenden, Luton, Leagrave, Harlington and Flitwick.
This is due to signalling problems.
Message Received: 08:28:41 04/02/2010
          
07:28 Rochester to Bedford due 09:52
This train has been delayed and is now 10 minutes late from Rochester.
This is due to congestion caused by earlier delays.
Message Received: 07:52:38 04/02/2010
       
07:50 Brighton to Bedford due 10:22
This train has been delayed and is now 11 minutes late from East Croydon.
This is due to earlier signalling problems.
Message Received: 08:47:46 04/02/2010
       
08:18 Bromley South to Bedford due 09:58
This train has been delayed and is now 15 minutes late from Elephant & Castle.
This is due to an earlier broken down train.
Message Received: 08:42:16 04/02/2010